Passengers traveling via various modes of transportation, e.g., planes, trains, boats, etc., have long been able to purchase food, beverages, and other products while en route via service counters. Until recently passengers traveling in certain passenger vehicles, e.g., cabs and limousines have not been able to purchase products via non-attended, automated vending machines while en route.
Mobile vending systems are generally known in the art. However, all known systems suffer from serious shortcomings. One known system includes a vending machine incorporated into the back of a passenger seat. However, the vending machine does not accommodate refrigerated items.
Another known system includes equipment that dispenses drinks and snacks from a golf-cart. The disclosed vending machine includes three parts: a top part for holding snacks; a middle part for holding beverages; and a bottom part which is a refrigeration unit. The three parts are contained within a housing that fits within the basket of a golf cart. However, the vending machine is to be mounted on the roof of the golf cart, or towed behind in a trailer unit. This configuration is not suitable for the confines of a vehicle because the products would not be available from within the passenger area.
Yet another known system includes a vending machine and cooling dispenser suited to environments with limited space. The dispenser is formed from a serpentine configuration. Vending without selection buttons is achieved by cradles and an interlock system. Installation of this configuration in a vehicle with limited space, such as a bus, taxicab, or limousine would require significant alterations resulting in decreased passenger comfort, impediment of ingress and egress, and reduction in passenger load capacity.
Another known system discloses a vending machine and associated control system in support of vending one or more items to a passenger in a rear passenger salon of a taxicab. One code module communicates vended item cost information to another module for inclusion in a calculation of a total fare for the taxicab ride and any vended items. This system can be refrigerated using, in part, the taxicab's air-conditioning system. However, installation of this system in a vehicle does not allow for modular loading of custom inventory cartridges and requires significant downtime and potential lost revenue when replenishment of items to be vended is required.
Another known system discloses a refrigerated vending system for installation in a taxicab. This application discloses a housing having an interior compartment configured to include at least a plurality of items therein and an exterior structurally adapted to seat against the surface of the front passenger chair that faces the rear passenger salon and proximal to the divider. A vending control system is operative to respond to an actuation by dispensing one of a plurality of items from the interior compartment for access within the rear passenger salon. However, the installation of this system inside the passenger compartment of a taxicab is disadvantageous because of the loss of space within the vehicle where the system is installed.